How to Block Light from the Sides of Blinds
BWS Marketing • Jul 05, 2021

When you pull down the shades, you want to really darken the room. Whether you want darkness for sleeping, watching movies, or telling scary stories before the sun goes down; no-one likes that halo of light around the blinds that shines despite your best shading efforts. Those light edges are not only a little bit blinding, they also disrupt the look of a room with the curtains drawn. It keeps you from fully darkening a space and in the wrong circumstances, that light around the side of your blinds can really wreck the quality of your sleep or your home theater experience.

So how the heck do you block light from the sides of blinds when your blinds are otherwise perfect? Fortunately, there are more than a few clever answers to suit your needs, depending on your style and the way you want to subtly solve this leaking light problem.

 

Blinds that Fit Perfectly Into the Window Frame

One option is to order custom blinds and a mount that allows your blinds to perfectly fit into the space of your window frame. This means that the edges of your stiff blind fabric or light wood slats perfectly fill the space, the edges of each side lightly brushing the inner edge of your window frame. You may still see a sliver of light, but gone are those big gaps of light singing all the way around your window. Pulled down to the sill, your perfectly fitted custom blinds can block almost all light coming through your window.

 

Blinds Mounted Over the Window Frame Edge

Another option is to buy blinds that are an inch or three wider than your window frame and mount them ‘flush’ on the outside of the window frame instead. For this method, Mount your blinds roller just above the top beam of your window frame. Pull down your blinds so that they layer over the left and right vertical beams of the window frame. With a flush frame, the lower end should lapse just below the lower frame beam. With an extended window sill, bring your shade down to rest on the sill itself.

This overlap method will allow your blinds to sit against the window frame, blocking most of the light that might seep through. Again, you may find a minuscule sliver of light around the sides, but far less than the traditional glowing gap around the blinds.

 

Side Channels and Light Blockers

The most effective approach involves a very small additional installation in your window: Side channels and light-blocker strips. A light-blocker is an l-shaped piece of plastic (or metal, or wood) that mounts just inside your window frame. It can then sit just behind or just in front of the edge of your blinds, providing a small panel that blocks only that tiny space between the blinds and the window frame itself.

Side channels are an even more subtle approach. These u-shaped strips also mount inside the window frame, but they are designed to elegantly blend with the frame and ‘capture’ the side edges of the blinds as channels. The blinds will not only block more light due to having the sides blocked, they will also swing less and can look more elegant with the installation of tasteful side channels.

 

Layered Window Treatments

If you’re looking for a more fabric-focused solution, try layered curtains and window treatments in addition to your blinds. Hanging curtains on either side of the window, for example, are excellent at blocking the light that comes from the sides of each window. This is because the folds of curtain fall against the window frame and nearby wall as they fold back and forth. Combined with blinds, layered curtains are a great window treatment solution for a truly darkened room.

 

Tired of light seeping in around your blinds? Contact us today for the perfect custom solution to perfectly darken each of your windows when closed while enhancing your interior design vision.

 

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

Up Your Home Office With These Inspirational Ideas

10 Apr, 2024
Up Your Home Office Game With These Inspirational Ideas As the the remote work trend grows, more people are working from home now than ever before. The home office has become an essential part of home design, and it's become more than just a spare room with a desk. Your home office is your personal workplace, one that you have complete control over. What began as a backup plan has become a permanent fixture, and you can design it any way you want. Whether you've always dreamed of a bright and sunny office, a light-protected focus zone, or an adaptive space that shifts with your mood, it can be yours. All that stands between you and your dream office is a little redecoration. Design Your Ideal Home Office Everyone has an ideal office environment. Each of us is happiest and the most focused under different conditions. It's one of the things that makes working from home so great compared to working in corporate-designed shared office. Envision the office environment you've always wanted. Do you want bright colors or stately elegance? Potted plants or mounted screens? A dedicated design table or extra space to move around? Your ideal home office is at your fingertips. Repaint and Refinish Your office can be any color palette you desire. All you need is a few cans of paint and wood finish to make it happen. If eggshell white isn't your thing, you can choose an all-new palette of colors and finishes. Design an office that makes you feel calm and focused, with an elegance that makes you smile every time you enter your inner sanctum. You can make your office feel light and airy or beautifully formal. You can design the perfect backdrop for video calls and create an uplifting work environment all at the same time. Consider a solid color for the walls, a nice accent for the trim and cabinetry, and a complimentary wood or metal finish for your desk and furniture. Rearrange the Furniture Speaking of furniture, this is your chance to optimize your ergonomics. Try an all-new desk design that perfectly supports your working style. Give yourself a wrap-around space with plenty of storage or a lightly furnished space where you can exercise and clear your thoughts. Place organizational features in the perfect locations for your reach and workflow and docking stations for all your devices. Give yourself the perfect number of screens, get your keyboard and mouse at just the right height, or even get a desk that converts between sitting and standing heights. Find the perfect office chair and enhance your comfort with a mini-fridge or kettle that makes your day complete. Take Control of the Light Levels Light levels play an important role in any working environment. You can install a brighter bulb or even a smart bulb in your overhead lights for clear, high-quality light to work by. You can add accent lights and task lights to illuminate specific areas of the room. If you love natural light, you can also take control with dynamic shades and blinds on the window. One of the best upgrades for a home office is adaptive light-filtering shades. You can set the light based on your mood and focus level any time of day. You can combine black-out blinds with cellular or Roman shades for an efficient and layered look, and even motorize your shades to control exactly how much natural light you let in depending on your task and the time of day. Integrate Smart Home Features Smart home features are a great update for your home office. A smart speaker can act as an intercom with the rest of the house, help you keep notes, and play music through linked Bluetooth speakers in the room. Smart lights and smart-home-connected motorized blinds give you complete control over the light levels in your office. You might also enjoy little extras like a voice-controlled fan, a smart thermostat to keep your office at exactly the right temperature, or digital frames to display your own album of artwork and photos. Enhance Your Home Office with Custom and Smart Blinds  Here at Just Blinds, we can help you transform your home office into your ideal work environment. Select your favorite design, fabric, and color of light-adaptive shades and blinds powered by smart-home motorized systems. Contact us today to find home office window treatments that are beautiful, uplifting, and delightfully versatile.

Are Plantations Shutters Still a Solid Option?

06 Mar, 2024
You are looking to change your windows, but you have some questions. Would plantation shutters look good in my house? Are they still in style, and how long do they last? New shutters are not permanent, but they are an undertaking, and plantation shutters will last a lifetime if you want them to, so you want to ensure that you get them right the first time. The good news is that plantation shutters never go out of style, and there are many benefits to dressing your windows with this durable option. What Are Plantation Shutters? Plantation shutters are window coverings that instantly add an air of elegance to any room. They are usually made of wood, but some newer versions use faux wood to achieve the same look. They are installed on the interior of the window and function much like regular blinds since you can angle the wood slats like you would traditional blinds. Not only do they look amazing, but plantation shutters also come with significant benefits. What Are the Benefits of Plantation Shutters Of course, plantation shutters have many benefits. Otherwise, people wouldn't talk about them as much as they do. Here are just a few of the more talked-about benefits of plantation shutters. Pure Aesthetics Plantation shutters' solid look instantly gives them a high-class aesthetic that people will love. Adding these shutters can instantly enhance the look of a room like a fresh coat of paint. Privacy and Light Control These heavy shutters will completely block outside light when fully closed. Since you can adjust the shutters to be fully horizontal or vertical, you can easily adjust how much light enters a room and from which direction. If no light gets in, that also means that no one can see through your blinds, making these the best shutters for total privacy. Sound Suppression Again, since these shutters can be closed and are made of thick material, they are an incredible sound barrier. This is a fantastic option for those living near noisy streets and highways. Durable and Easy-To-Clean One more reason people love switching to plantation shutters is their ease of care. They last a long time, don't get brittle or break like traditional blinds, and are way easier to clean. They also take less time to finish and look better. Energy Efficient Since these shutters are so thick, they act as insulators, preventing air exchange through the windows and keeping sunlight from heating surfaces in the house. What to Consider When Choosing Plantation Shutters Not all plantation shutters are the same, and there are a few things you should consider before buying. Work With a Reputable Company Unfortunatley, some companies see shutter installation as a job and not part of someone's home. Plantation shutters need precision installation to reach their full potential, so you want to work with a company with proven results and reviews. DIYers may be considering installing these shutters themselves, but it takes professional tools and experience to get them exactly where they need to go. The Size of the Shutters Sometimes called louvers, the slats of the blinds come in many sizes. The size of the louvers will impact how the room looks, so it is essential that you try different looks to see how they transform your room before you make a final decision. Materials You will want to decide if you want a more traditional look with wood or a more contemporary look with faux wood. Other materials, such as locks, invisible hinges, and shutter pulls, can also upgrade your shutters. Are They A Good Investment?  Plantation shutters cost a little more, but they are one of those home improvements where you get what you pay for. They last a lifetime, so over the lifetime of your plantation shutters, you would probably end up buying the equivalent cost, if not more, in traditional blinds. Finally, their energy efficiency means that these blinds will likely pay for themselves in energy costs over time. For a long-lasting, quality product, choose plantation shutters. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and give your windows the love they deserve.
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